That’s Gratitude for You

  If you read last week’s blog you will recall my story about my frustration with birds pooping on the swing I use for meditating and resting from yard work. I am happy to report the spike board I put above the swing is working! I have not cut the tree from which I was “spotted” but neither have I suffered a repeat of being personally assaulted by the ungrateful creature that pooped on me. By the way, the spot on my blue pants will not come out. Every time […]

Dealing With Disappointment

For the past several days I have been dealing with a major disappointment related to the book I’ve been working on for almost three years. About a year ago I made contact with an agent I had a good feeling about and we hit it off really well. He liked my idea and was very helpful and encouraging in the early days of the work. We were excited and shared hope and an expectation about getting the book published. Everything was going well, and then life happened. This man became […]

Transition

  Transition Our nation is in a time of transition.  One president has left office and another administration has assumed leadership of our country. A different political party is in control and responsible for the leadership and direction of our nation for at least the next two years. Whether you are saddened or happy about the prospect of new leadership, the fact is that change is coming. Living well requires us to handle transition or change well. This is true in all areas of our life. Think about some of […]

Boundaries: The Answer to Many of Our Problems

A quarter of a century ago Henry Cloud and John Townsend published a book entitled Boundaries. As I have been perusing its pages lately it has dawned on me that this book holds the secret to solving many of life’s problems. You name it: sexual abuse, theft, adultery, lying, and all the big and little sins and crimes human beings commit could be resolved if people would just observe proper boundaries. Does that sound too simple? Think about it. That’s what Jesus’ statement in Matthew 24 concerning loving God, self and […]

Careful with Your Words

I believe the purpose of communication is to develop understanding and acceptance of the other person, even though we may strongly disagree with their position on a given subject. We don’t need to follow the example of many of our public figures who demean or smear the reputation or character of another person because they have political differences.  Be very careful about “judging” a person because they are a “liberal” or “conservative.” Let’s try to discuss the issues and not attack the character of the one with the opposing view. […]